On the morning of August 15, The Memorial Hall of the Nanjing Massacre Victims (by Japanese Invaders) held the event “Nanjing Will Never Forget — Historical Materials Donation and Historical Memory Inheritance Event.” During the event, the fifth group of Nanjing Massacre Historical Memory Inheritors officially took up their roles. More than 150 items (sets) of cultural relics and historical materials, along with more than 100 items (sets) of documentary materials newly collected in the first half of 2026, were formally added to the memorial hall’s collection.
Fifth Group of Nanjing Massacre Historical Memory Inheritors Takes Up the Role
At the ceremony, Ruan Zeyu, Xie Jingwen, Chang Ling, Luo Meng, Callie Brady and Christoph Reinhardt were officially designated as members of the fifth group of Nanjing Massacre Historical Memory Inheritors. To date, the memorial hall has completed five rounds of certification, bringing the total number of Historical Memory Inheritors to 44.
Compared with the previous four groups, this year’s team brings together four categories of people for the first time: descendants of victims, descendants of survivors, descendants of custodians of historical evidence preserved by private individuals, and descendants of international friends who carried out humanitarian relief efforts in Nanjing at the time. The convergence of these different lines of remembrance ensures that history is no longer confined to a one-sided recollection. The tragedy of the Nanjing Massacre is not only a wound that countless families have struggled to heal, but also an enduring national trauma that must never be forgotten. More importantly, it is a historical truth that transcends geographical and racial boundaries and is safeguarded by people around the world. Memories preserved through different channels corroborate one another, providing powerful evidence against any attempt to distort or erase this history.
Callie Brady is the great-granddaughter of Richard Brady, an international friend who served as a surgeon at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital. In February 1938, Richard Brady overcame numerous difficulties to return to Drum Tower Hospital to treat refugees. He also documented the atrocities committed by the Japanese army through diaries, photographs and letters.
In 2016 and 2023, Callie twice accompanied her father and sister to Nanjing to participate in the National Memorial Ceremony and the Candlelight Vigil & International Peace Assembly. She is currently writing a book from the perspective of descendants of international friends who were involved in the Nanjing Safety Zone. The book aims to introduce young people in Europe and the United States to the true history of the Nanjing Massacre and promote the message of peace.
Callie Brady (left), Richard Brady (right)
Christoph Reinhardt is the great-grandson of John Rabe, an international humanitarian. During the Nanjing Massacre, John Rabe stepped forward to spearheaded the establishmenet of the Nanjing Safety Zone, where more than 200,000 displaced Chinese refugees found shelter. His Rabe’s Diary later became a precious international historical record documenting the atrocities committed by the Japanese army and reflecting the goodwill extended across national borders.
Following in his ancestor’s tradition of humanitarianism that transcends national boundaries, Christoph Reinhardt has quietly practiced kindness and spread warmth for many years. He has provided long-term assistance and foster care to 36 children facing difficult circumstances, continuing his family’s commitment to peace through concrete actions. Out of deep respect for his ancestor, he has visited Nanjing numerous times to retrace his footsteps and has participated in events including the Zijin Grass International Peace Camp and visits tracing the footsteps of his ancestors. In 2025, he donated to the memorial hall, free of charge, a number of precious historical artifacts, including a wooden box personally designed by Rabe, allowing historical materials carrying the truth and warmth of that era to return to Nanjing. Today, through historical research, cultural relic donations and international exchanges for peace, he continues to safeguard historical truth with both gentleness and determination, passing on a message of peace that transcends race and time and building a warm bond of friendship between China and Germany.
Christoph Reinhardt (left), John Rabe (right)
New Evidence Further Documents the Atrocities Committed by the Japanese Invading Army in Nanjing
On the same day, more than 150 items (sets) of cultural relics and historical materials and more than 100 items (sets) of documentary materials newly collected during the first half of 2026 were officially added to the memorial hall’s collection. They include private letters written by Japanese soldiers who participated in the invasion of China, wartime postcards, training notes on chemical warfare, collections of wartime news reports, and diplomatic archives from France. From different perspectives, these precious cultural relics, historical materials and documentary records shed further light on the Nanjing Massacre and other atrocities committed by the Japanese invading army, providing additional solid evidence of the historical truth.
Among the materials donated this time were a number of valuable historical records collected and donated by young students. Yu Ningpeng, a high school student from Xuzhou, and his classmate Xu Weizhe jointly donated a collection of private letters written by Ishikawa Morita, a soldier of the 20th Infantry Regiment of the 16th Division of the Japanese invading army. The letters provide evidence of the mass killing of Chinese prisoners by the Japanese 16th Division during the Nanjing Massacre.
Collection of 12 private letters written by Ishikawa Morita, a soldier of the 20th Infantry Regiment of the 16th Division of the Japanese invading army
Pu Yang, a university student from Wuhan, donated a wartime postcard written on January 15, 1938, by Mitsui Shigemasa, a soldier of the 4th Company, 1st Battalion, 66th Infantry Regiment of the 114th Division of the Japanese invading army. The postcard describes how the unit captured large numbers of Chinese prisoners and weapons while attacking the Jinling Arsenal near Zhonghua Gate in Nanjing on December 12, 1937.
Xu Kairui, a middle school student from Lianyungang, donated two training notebooks documenting Japanese military preparations for chemical warfare. One was written in November 1937 by Second Lieutenant Nashikazu Yosuke, a sapper with the Japanese Army’s 2nd Telegraph Regiment. It records his training in chemical warfare at the Japanese Army Engineer School. The other contains materials recorded in December 1938 by Second Lieutenant Masaki of the Japanese Army’s 2nd Telegraph Regiment concerning chemical warfare exercises, including the performance of different types of gas masks and methods of dispersing chemical agents.
Training notebooks documenting chemical warfare instruction received by Japanese officers Nashikazu Yosuke and Masaki
Marcus Detrez, grandson of Roger Pierre Laurens, a French victim of the Japanese invasion of China; Bastien Ratat, president of the French public welfare association “Echoes of the World”; and Zhong Haosong, a Chinese youth and co-initiator of the initiative, jointly donated a collection of documents concerning the Japanese invasion of China from the Nantes Diplomatic Archives Center of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, together with Japanese documentary materials relating to the invasion of China. Organized by province, the archives record wartime events in Nanjing, Shanghai, Guangdong and other regions, bringing historical evidence scattered overseas back to its homeland.
Documents concerning the Japanese invasion of China from the Nantes Diplomatic Archives Center of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
